‘Page 12
The Pendulum
Thursday, October 18,1|
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In the raw!
Emphasis
By Sue Hoggard
Staff Writer
Most people will agree—
either you like oysters, or you
don’t.Those shiny, slippery,
muscle-like creatures really
aren’t concerned about who
likes them or not; they just like
to swim and crawl along swal
low coastal waters until they
can find a home and attach
themselves permanently to the
object they find.
But, it is oyster season, and
experienced seafood critics
such as Nick Collins of Caroli
na Seafood, 604 S. Worth St.,
Burlington, agree that months
with R’s in their names are the
best months for gathering the
oysters. Collins said cold
weather makes for a plump,
better tasting oyster.
Collins said, “I get my oysters
from the Chesapeake Bay
rather than the coast of North
Carolina because the waters of
the bay are a little further
north. They are colder, the oys
ters are ready earlier and I also
prefer their taste.” Collins
noted that some of the Carolina
oyster beds were disturbed by
last month’s Hurricane Diana.
A lot of work goes into the
preparation of oysters. People
who would rather not even
'think about putting an oyster in
their mouth tend to dismiss
thoughts about what a delicacy
oysters are in most parts of the
world.
Before these delicacies are
served, they have to be
gathered from previously lain
oyster beds in coastal waters.
When the oysters are gathered,
they must be shucked. Shuck
ing is the procedure of remov
ing the muscle from the shell.
Oyster muscles attach them
selves to the shell on the in
side. This makes it difficult to
open up the shell. An inexperi
enced “oyster shucker” could
have better luck at sticking his
hand into a food processor if he
isn’t careful.
However, all one really
needs to successfully shuck
oysters is a pair of sturdy
gloves and a strong bladed,
sharp knife. The knife should
cbe pushed into the narrow end
of the shell with the twisting
motion. Once the knife has
penetrated the shell, a slicing
motion down both sides of the
shell will reaease the muscle
from the inside of the shell.
Oysters can be bought by the
peck or bushel in the shell.
They come in many varieties
and sizes. The taste is deter-
Whether baked, stewed, fried or raw,
oysters aren’t just another seafood
mined by the mineral content
of the particular body of water
it is in and the amount of pollu
tion in the water.
People eat oysters raw,
steamed in casseroles, and
stews, and with Yaupon Tea, an
ancient Indian beverage.
Legend has it that Indians in
eastern North Carolina had
huge oyster feasts similar to
the fall eating feastivities can
be found today in coastal areas.
They ate the oysters raw. In
fact, they ate them and drank
the milky juices until they
couldn’t hold anymore.
When they were totally glut
ted, they drank the Yaukon Tea
which caused to upchuck what
they had eaten—so that they
would glut on oysters again, or
until they couldn’t stand the
process anymore.
For those who don’t like oys-
ters, the tea wouldn’t be
needed.
Carolina Seafood carries
oysters all year long, but Col
lins said he felt winter oysters
were better. He carries the
three sizes available; Counts,
the large oysters; Selects, a
medium size; and Standards, a
smaller oyster usually used in
stews.
Collins said, “There is a great
demand for oysters now. I can’t
keep enough of them.”
Oysters are served in a varie
ty of ways, Collins-said one of
his favorites is an oyster cas
serole. He said he layers oyster
crackers (oysters even have a
cracker just for their use), and
oysters with pepper until he
fills the dish with a layer of
crackers on top. Then, he pours
a cup of milk over the dish. He
bakes it at 350 degrees until the
crackers turn brown.
Preparation of oysters
ranges from the simple-
shucking and eating the raw of
steamed oysters and dunking
them in melted butter or cock
tail sauce—to the compli
cated—such dishes as Oysters
Rockefeller or Oysters Bienvil
le are featured on many haute
cuisine menus.
Master chef and syndicated
food columnist Pierre Franey
has called oysters the world’s
“most perfect food” because it
can be prepared in so many
ways without losing its own fla
vorful character in combina
tion with other foods.
Not everyone would agree
with Franey, of course. But it’s
hard to think of any other food
which there is no middle
ground of public opinion.
LEMONS AND OYSTERS: Part of the appeal of oysters is the variety of ways to
enjoy this delicacy. Hot sauce is also a popular condiment for oysters.
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SHUCKING